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Agronomist says this isn’t a repeat of plant ‘17

An agronomist with Seed Consultants says although rain in the Eastern Corn Belt could delay planting, he isn’t too concerned.

Bill McDonald says this isn’t a repeat of the last year’s planting season when rain was followed by cool temperatures.

“Last year we had that big rain after that big run of planting and then it turned cold and that’s what hurt us,” he says. “This is different. They’re not calling for large amounts of rain and warm temperatures are supposed to follow.”

He tells Brownfield farmers should continue to be patient during any delays.

“I don’t anticipate any issues even with this rain coming in,” he says. “I firmly believe we’re going to have some good emergence because of the warmer temperatures.”

McDonald says although there are pockets in Indiana and Ohio where farmers haven’t been able to begin planting, many farmers in those states are about half done with corn planting.

Audio: Bill McDonald, Seed Consultants